


Cuppa Love

by anamiii



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, Extremely Slow Burn you have been warned, F/M, Gen, Good Cora, Love Triangles, Modern day Storybrooke, Slow Burn, coffee shop AU, you may need tissues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 19:25:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17772800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anamiii/pseuds/anamiii
Summary: Regina Mills finds herself in a bit of financial trouble with her business when she meets a New York playwright who came into town to find new inspiration.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Whavey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whavey/gifts).



> @LoveFromOQ valentine's day gift for @whaveyx :) I hope you like it and it's everything you wanted.
> 
> p.s. Thank you, thank you, thank you to AJ for betaing for me even though she was on her own crunchtime.

Chapter 1

The world of dating is almost like a battlefield and the players weaving their way through it - warriors. Some are better equipped to navigate the battleground than others. There are the victorious -- those who find that great love and make you think that it is all worth it in the end. There are the casualties -- ranging from bad dates to completely horrific situations. And then there are those who don’t quite fall into either category; they are neutral, Switzerland if you may. Regina Mills fell into this category.

She was optimistic. She hadn’t waved her white flag in defeat just yet. And the truth was she wasn’t always in such a boat, a year ago she had the perfect boyfriend. The guy everyone wanted and she had him. He was handsome, successful, attentive… she had it all. But that was then and this is now. 

Regina sits across from her date trying to ignore the fact that he is clearly watching the game on his phone under the table. Not at all subtle about it as he grunts out his dismay at the opposing team taking the ball. 

She placed her menu down a little leaning forward, “What happened?”

“He dropped the ball on a two-point conversion, unbelievable,” the guy sitting across from her mutters. Unbelievable is an understatement. 

Regina fights the urge to roll her eyes and instead tries to go along with it, “Come on, I know! Right?” She’s trying too hard, she mentally kicks herself in the ass. 

After Mr. Perfect and she broke up, she spent 3 months wallowing her losses and completely defeated, but then picked herself up because it was time to move on. And in order to do that, she studied everything there was to study about dating. She was a pro. She knew how to have a conversation and keep it going. She could fake it like she was actually enjoying the topic -- this game for instance. 

Regina wasn’t the passive, let-love-come-to-you type. No. She wanted to perfect the art of dating like she perfected every other talent she had acquired over the years. So she spent 3 months practicing and honing in on her skill as a dater. After all, if she sat around waiting, that would have led to one too many Saturday nights in eating chunky monkey in her sweats; that wasn’t about to happen. 

She saw her date glance back at his phone and rolled her eyes, finally, just as the waiter walked over. “I’ll have the kale salad.” 

Her date looked up, “Steak, bloody.” 

Regina internally cringed what was she thinking when she agreed to a date with this guy. She cleared her throat, “So what do you do when you’re not coaching football? Or watching football?”

He stared at her for a minute not saying anything.

“There must be something,” she urged. “Anything?”

“Well, there is this one thing I like to do…” he said, “it’s my artistic side.”

“Oh?” She had no idea what she was getting herself into. The guy ended up taking her to a karaoke bar afterward to show her his ‘artistic side’ before ultimately going home with someone else. Regina made her way back to her apartment that night, solo. The search continues. 

She may be a wounded warrior in this battlefield called love, but she still has hope. Hope that keeps her from the casualty pile. Hope that there is someone out there. Or in her case, a second chance at love. 

Regina’s first love, Daniel, had been an absolute dream come true for her. They were perfect together and the life they were building was what anyone would want. Until the day Daniel got a phone call from a large real estate firm in Chicago wanting to bring him on. It was everything he had dreamed of and an opportunity he couldn’t turn down. He wanted her to go with him. Start a new life in the big city together. She had a huge decision to make. Pack up, leave everything she loved behind and go try to make it in a city she didn’t know, or watch her perfect guy drive away in a U-haul truck. 

.::.

The next morning, Regina woke up early as she always did and got dressed. She found her sister on the couch passed out on top of the laundry, with the TV still on. Gently easing the remote out of her hand and shifting the clean clothes out from around her and covered her with a blanket. 

She made her way out and started walking towards Main Street. It was a beautiful day out in Storybrooke, Maine. She loved it here. She grew up here and this place would always be her home. Regina walked down the street towards a coffee shop -- her coffee shop. Regina’s Coffee was her legacy. She had gotten the place running from the ground up and obviously she wasn’t going to leave it behind and follow Daniel blindly to Chicago. 

Regina unlocked the door to her store and made her way to the back, placing her things in her office before going back out front and starting to grind the coffee she was going to have out today. While she was working, Mal walked in and grab an apron. Mal was a friend of Regina’s from grade school. They had always been close. When Regina was getting her store up and running, Mal had been fully on board with helping her out in any way possible and to Regina that meant helping her run the place. She stepped up to the plate and the two of them had been working together ever since. 

They had a daily morning ritual. Get the daily special coffee made and have the first two cups before opening the doors to the public. Clicking their glasses they took a sip.

“Perfect,” Regina said closing her eyes. 

_ Mmm _ Mal hummed in agreement. “So? You going to tell me about last night or not?” 

Regina smirked, “or not.” 

Mal shook her head as Regina walked away to straighten up the tables.

.::.

New York, NY

“They hated it,” a guy sitting at a table outside a cafe said, reading a newspaper.

“The problem with being a prodigy is people expect more,” an older man sitting across from him deflected. 

“They hated it.” The younger guy deadpanned.

“Hate is a strong word,” the older guy started, “they  _ loathed _ it.”

“Better.”

“Yeah…” the older guy took a sip of his coffee, “One bomb, one not so great play I could work with, but two, Robin, I…”

“This is quite the pep talk, Gold.” 

Gold shook his head, reaching over to grab the various newspapers sitting across from Robin. He had been Robin’s agent for years. He knew he was a great playwright but he had hit a rough patch. “This is unproductive, give me these.” He placed the newspapers under the table, “Do me a favor, take a week off. Clear your head. Stop reading the reviews. And then find a way to get us back to where we were.”

“Where we were three years ago?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want to go backward.”

“Yes, but I do,” Gold insisted, ”Three years ago you were writing hit plays, which means I was producing hit plays. Three years ago I was making money, and now I’m spending money. I want to go back to making money, Robin.” He stood up and walked around the table, squeezing Robin’s shoulder. “I know you have another one in there.”

“What if I don’t?” Robin asked, “What if all I had was that one?”

“Don’t go there,” Gold muttered. “You’ll figure it out. I know you will. I have to go, but just do me a solid and stop reading those bloody reviews.”

Robin sighed as he watched his agent walk away. Did he really believe he could come up with another play? He hadn’t been doing so well and didn’t really have any inspiration to go off of. He turned back to his cup and stared off, passively people watching in the city he always dreamt of being successful in. He had made it but had he peaked?

.::.

Storybrooke, ME

Regina was finishing up the specials board as a man rolled in a wheelchair.

“Morning, Archie,” Mal called out from behind the counter when she saw him. 

Regina smiled over at the older gentleman as she stepped down from the step ladder. “How are you doing today, Archie?”

“I’m doing great, I have fresh air in my lungs, great feelings in my heart, and soon I’ll have the best coffee on the east coast in my belly.” 

Regina laughed as she took the mug of coffee Mal had poured out for him, “I’ve been experimenting with this blend all week, so tell me how you like it,” she said as she handed him the mug.

“Is there coffee in it?” Archie asked, accepting the mug.

“Three different kinds.”

“Then it’s good,” Archie replied “Coffee is coffee. Don’t overthink it.”

The bells chimed, signalling that the door had been opened and someone stepped over behind Archie, placing his hand on Archie’s shoulder. “Caffeinating the world is a public service, Archie, it’s a serious business.” He winked at the older gentleman, stepping over to the counter. “That being said, I would like a medium triple cream with a half pump of hazelnut and caramel.” He smiled over at Mal.

“Did he order a coffee or a wedding cake?” Archie sassed.

The guy at the counter laughed as he pulled out his buzzing phone; stepping to the side, he sat down at one of the tables and answered it, “Hey!”

“Hey, Killian,” he heard over the line. 

“Robin, how did opening night go? Zelena and I can’t wait to come out and see it.”

“Cancel your trip, mate. It isn’t worth it,” Robin groaned.

Killian rolled his eyes. “Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“Well I just got heckled by a needy old guy on the street demanding I get out of the business, how bad do you think that is?” Robin countered. 

“Ouch,” Killian responded. “Listen, come to Storybrooke. Get out of the city for a while. It’ll do you some good.”

“That sounds tempting,” Robin responded.

“Bring Marian, I can finally meet her, and you can finally meet Zelena.” Killian mouthed a thank you to Mal as she placed his coffee order on the table before lifting the cup to take a sip.

Robin scoffed, “Yeah, that’s over. Apparently, I’m only attractive if I’m writing hits and winning Tonys.”

“Aren’t we all?” he laughed, “Well, why not take some of that newfound freedom, catch a plane ride, and hey, maybe you’ll find some new inspiration.” 

“A new perspective might be a good idea,” Robin replied. “Listen, I gotta go, but I’ll think about it.”

“Alright, mate.” Killian hung up the phone and walked over to the counter with his mug. “Hey Mal, can I get another pump of hazelnut in this?” The door opened and Regina’s sister walked over to the counter, rubbing her eyes. Killian turned around and raised an eyebrow. “Am I seeing things or are you actually awake before noon?”

“With my sister? Impossible,” Regina chimed in. 

Mal brought Killian’s cup back over to him and raised a brow at Zelena’s physical state. “Rough night, Z?”

“Nicholas Sparks all night marathon,” Zelena groaned. “Enough said.”

“Cheesy romantic movies?” Regina asked. “You do know you have Killian.”

“Yeah, babe,” Killian smirked wrapping his arms around Zelena, “I am your cheesy romance.”

“Yes, but you’ve never rescued me from a wild horse running amok.” 

“I was unaware that I was required to do that, my mistake. Please do tell me the next time you plan on getting on any wild horses” He kissed her temple and reached for his mug. 

Before Zelena could reply, someone had bumped into her. “Oh excuse me.”

“Excuse yourself,” Zelena turned to Killian. “That was your opportunity to defend my honor.” 

Regina rolled her eyes, watching them as David made his way behind the counter with an apron. “The master is here.”

“The master is late,” Regina retorted.

“The master is loud and obnoxious,” Zelena added.

“Master? Really?” Mal asked incredulously. “I believe you lost the barista award, again.”

“Don’t worry about it, David, no one can beat Gina. Espresso just bends to her will,” Killian said.

Regina wrapped an arm around David. “That’s alright, you can keep practicing, buddy,” she teased. 

“Hey, I am getting faster, and she’s getting nervous,” David countered. 

Zelena smirked. “Here comes, David, super barista. Here to save the world one cappuccino at a time.” 

“Don’t you have a job or something to get to?” David narrowed his eyes at her. 

“That’s one of the benefits of being an executive retail specialist, flexible hours,” she replied, leaning against Killian. 

David furrowed his brows, “Executive what? You sell old shit on Amazon.” 

“Vintage collectibles, it’s different,” Zelena gritted out as she reached for another sample.

Regina reached over and stopped her. “Hey, easy. Save some for my paying customers please.”

“You do realize that metabolism is a gift, right?” David asked.

“An unfair gift,” Mal mumbled.

Zelena rolled her eyes. “What is this? Pick on Zelena day?”

“Yeah,” Killian perked up, “stop hassling my girl!” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning down a little. “How was that?” His tone went down an octave.

“My knight in shining armor,” Zelena cooed as she leaned her head back to peck his lips. Killian smiled and went back over to the table he was sitting at. Zelena turned towards her sister as she reached for the whipped cream can. “So how was your date with the hotty last night?”

“Uhm,” Regina started. “It was...interesting.” 

“Interesting good or interesting bad?”

Regina frowned a little. “Well, he’s the couch of a football team..”

“So he likes kids, that’s a plus,” Mal cut in. 

“He was the captain of his college team,” Regina continued.

“Leadership skills,” Mal responded.

Zelena nodded in agreement, “Sounds promising. Is there going to be a second date?”

Regina narrowed her eyes a bit. “He also has questionable table manners and can’t remember my name.” 

Zelena pursed her lips. “Well, your name isn’t that… common?” she tried. 

“Maybe he was just nervous,” Mal cut in, giving Zelena a what are you doing look. “You could give him another chance.”

“No.” Regina cringed slightly. “I’m pretty sure I got a clear picture of who he really is.” 

“Damn, you worked so hard on this one, too.” Mal frowned a little she turned to Zelena. “Know anyone who wants a bunch of football stats and flashcards?” 

Regina had clearly done her homework before her date and studied up on everything there was to know about football. Hoping that she would get lucky again and maybe find a connection. Her friends loved her but they were clearly getting worried that she wasn’t doing this right. She tried too hard to be someone who she wasn’t and it wasn’t working. She needed to just be her and let someone in who was attracted to her natural glow, a glow they all knew she had. She was likable, very likable. The town loved her. There was no reason she should be trying so hard. 

“Don’t worry,” Mal said squeezing Regina’s hand. “There are plenty of fish in the sea.”

“Speaking of, you may want to check your computer,” Zelena added. “You have a message.” 

Regina gave her sister a look. “Do I even want to ask how you know that?”

“Probably not,” Zelena replied, getting up and walking over to Killian. 

Regina shook her head in disbelief. She loved her sister but she was a pain sometimes, always getting into her stuff. 

Regina busied herself with the morning crowd until she finally had a few minutes to slip back towards her office and to check the message Zelena had told her about. She sat down at her desk and took a deep break, firing up her computer and opening up Facebook to see the message. A message from none other than her ex, Daniel. 

_ It’s been a year.  _

_ I’m coming to town, need to see you.  _

_ We need to talk.  _

_ -Daniel  _

Regina stared at the message. Daniel was coming back into town. He was coming to town and wanted to talk. What could he want to talk about? Was he moving back? Did he want to get back together? Was he seeing someone else? Is he getting married and wanting to tell her in person? What was it? Questions were running through Regina’s head as nerves were all on edge. She hadn’t seen him in a year. She was finally at a place where she could move on but here he was, coming back into her life. She was anxious at the thought of seeing him again. 

Before she could get too lost in thought, Zelena peeked into the office. “Hey, Killian’s going to drop me at home… oh, you saw it,” she said as she saw the message on the computer. “What are you going to do?”

“There’s nothing to do,” Regina deadpanned. 

“Of course there’s something to do, Regina.”

Regina sighed, “We’ve been over this, Z, nothing has changed.”

“Let’s go over it again, for old time’s sake,” Zelena offered. 

“Fine,” Regina groaned. “He left. I stayed. That’s it.”

“If that was it, why did he send you a message saying he needs to see you?” Zelena asked. She squeezed Regina’s shoulder comfortingly and turned around to walk out of the coffee shop. 

Regina turned back to the message, reading it again. Maybe Zelena was right, she was curious why he was writing and what exactly he wanted to talk about. 

.::.

Zelena and Killian had left the coffee shop and were walking down Main Street. Zelena groaned, “She’s so stubborn. It drives me crazy.”

“I have no idea what that could be like,” Killian replied sarcastically. Clearly, the sisters were more alike than they cared to admit. 

“She keeps dating loser after loser. She’s wasting valuable time.”

“You like to meddle in other people’s lives,” Killian commented. To which he received the famous Mills death glare from his girlfriend. “Hey, hey, I love you, I do, but it’s true you meddle. Maybe just leave this alone. Regina doesn’t seem like she wants anyone meddling right now.”

“Instead of discouraging me, why don’t you help me?” Zelena retorted. 

KIllian gave her a look. “Regina is a very self-sufficient independent woman. I don’t think she needs us helping.”

“She’s self-sufficient and alone,” Zelena emphasized. “Besides, what about what I want? Doesn’t that matter?” she looked up at him with her puppy dog eyes.

“Of course that matters, love,” Killian replied. 

“Well I want Regina to be in love and happy, like we are. And if you love me, you will help me help her. She just needs a little guidance. What do you say? Be my knight?” she asked, biting her lip. 

“I guess I can dust off my shining armor,” Killian responded with an eye roll before kissing Zelena. She was stubborn and always got what she wanted, but her heart was in the right spot. She really did want her sister to be happy. 

.::.

Another day had come to a close. Regina and Mal were closing up before heading home for the night. 

“Do you want to talk about what you’re going to do with Daniel?” Mal asked as she wiped down a table. 

Regina shrugged slightly,.“There’s nothing to talk about. He lives in Chicago, I live here. Nothing’s changed.”

“Maybe nothing has changed for you, Gina. But maybe something has changed for him? Wouldn’t hurt to think about what you might do in that case,” she finished, wiping the last of the tables, and took off her apron. Regina was lost in thought when Mal touched her back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, don’t think too much.”

Regina laughed slightly. “I won’t, have a good night.” She watched her go and move towards the piano in the far corner. Music always helped calm her nerves and center her when she was trying to make a hard decision. She sat down and played a familiar melody. One she had played many times before when she was going back and forth over moving or staying. She hadn’t changed her mind. But if he had, if he was coming back, what did that mean for them? 

.::.

New York, NY

Robin was sitting in his apartment with his laptop open, staring at a blank screen. He had lost all his motivation, did not know what he was going to write and was starting to think that he was never going to get another play written. He was lost in thought when a message popped up from his friend Killian. 

_ You’re taking too long to decide. You’re coming here and I’ve got the perfect spot for you to write.  _

Robin smiled, shaking his head. His friend was never the patient type, but a perfect place to write was also not something he believed in. He responded back, saying just as much. Killian, of course, had a response to his pessimism. 

_ Then you have nothing to lose trying Regina’s Coffee Shop. Just trust me, mate, the inspiration you need is here.  _

He did have a point there, Robin really didn’t have anything to lose. Maybe a trip up north wouldn’t hurt. Small towns have their charm and at the very least, he’d be able to see his bud from college and the woman who finally made him give up the partying lifestyle. 

Robin fired up a browser and pulled up Expedia to find the next available plane ticket to Maine. He was going to Storybrooke. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A few days later Regina was sitting in her office, rereading her mortgage paperwork. She needed another extension with a better rate if she was going to be able to keep this coffee shop afloat. She was in trouble, she knew that. This was the not-so-glamorous side of being a business owner. Yes, she was able to do what she loved on a day to day basis, but keeping things running -- the money -- that part was not so fun. 

She rubbed her forehead slightly, starting to feel a headache come on. 

“Knock, knock,” Killian said as he stood at the doorway to her office. 

“Hey.” Regina smiled a little.

Killian stepped inside peeking at the paper in her hand, “Ah, mortgage adjustment? Yeah, that can be kind of scary.”

“So can climbing mountains with Zelena, but you managed to survive that,” Regina teased him. They had grown on each other over the years. At first, Regina wasn’t sure he would be good for her sister with the leather jackets and the eyeliner he insisted on wearing, but she was wrong. Underneath that shell, he was very sweet and loved Zelena. Regina would still beat the shit out of him if he ever hurt her sister, though. That much they both knew. 

“Barely,” Killian chuckled. “But, on a serious note, you know I am a CPA. If you need help with that, I am more than willing to look things over.”

Regina smiled. “I appreciate that, but I think I just need to talk to Marco, he’s usually been pretty understanding with my situation and helps me out whenever I need it.”

“Marco is a great guy, Regina, and he’s a great banker. But, that’s a lot of dough that needs to be repaid.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Regina stated. “But it was kind of you to offer to help, thank you.”

“Of course,” Killian smiled.

“That’s not the only reason you’re back here is it?” Regina looked at him suspiciously. 

Killian laughed a little. “No, Zelena lost her phone. Any chance it’s back here?”

Regina looked around her desk. “I’ll call it.” They heard it ringing from outside in the shop and made their way out only to find it sitting amongst the donut display.

“Should have checked there first.” Killian shook his head taking the phone. “Thanks, Gina. And good luck.”

“Yeah.” Regina went behind the counter, placing her own phone in her back pocket. She was out here now, might as well make herself useful and handle some customers. 

A man in a business suit walked in on his cell phone and made his way over to the counter. “Hi,” he said to Regina.

“Hey, what can I get you?” Regina replied with her perfected professional smile. 

“What do you recommend?” he asked.

“Matching customers to their perfect drink is kind of my thing,” Regina said. “I just need to know a little more about you.”

The man raised an eyebrow, “You don’t say, what do you need to know?”

“What profession are you in?”

“Investment banking.”

Regina smirked a bit, “Stressful, long hours I presume, right?” She waited for him to confirm with a nod. “So caffeine. Spicy or sweet?” 

He smirked back. “A little bit of both, or so the ladies say.” 

Regina laughed a little. “Well okay, how about a chai latte? It’s sweet at first but then you get the spicy kick. Best of both worlds.”

He nodded. “Very impressive, Miss Mills.” 

“I’ll make it!” David announced, “need the practice.” 

Regina wasn’t paying much attention to David, her mind had been racing. “How did you know my name?” she asked the man standing in front of her. 

“It was on your extension request for your business loan,” he stated matter-of-factly. 

Regina’s jaw dropped slightly and her eyes widened, where was Marco? Why is this strange man she’s never met here to talk about her business loan and not Marco? She walked around the counter, “Why… why did Marco show you that?”

“Marco doesn’t own the bank anymore; my partner and I do. I’m Leopold Blanchard.”

Regina felt her stomach drop a little; she was placing all her chips in Marco’s basket to get her the extension. “Marco sold the bank?”

“Yup, I’m sure he’ll come in to tell you himself. Kind of the small town bank think they all get chummy with their customers. That’s the problem though, they get attached and let their emotions make the decisions instead of focusing on reality. But the bottom line is, you’re in too deep to get out of it.”

Regina’s insides were doing somersaults, she was going to throw up. He basically just confirmed that she would not be getting the extension. “The economy has been tough the past few years,” she offered. 

“I know, I know,” he said. “And you didn’t exactly have the best luck with having to replace the roof from that snow storm and the pipes. A lot of things that were out of your control. But, sweetie, you have to face the facts, you don’t have the money to afford to keep this place open, and frankly, I cannot afford to not force you out.” 

Regina could feel her eyes starting to get hazy from the thought of having to close this shop. “There must be something we can do.”

“I think that’s just postponing the inevitable.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “Look, I didn’t come in here to kick you out right now. My business partner and I have some other stops to make so…” 

“Alright, here we go, one chai latte,” David interrupted, placing the cup on the table. 

“Thank you,” Leopold said, he waited for David to go back to the counter before turning to Regina. “Maybe we can meet next week and I can tell you more about the foreclosure process?”

“Sure,” Regina replied, next week. He wanted to foreclose soon. How could this be happening? She worked her ass off to get this place started. She was failing. Her mother would have been so disappointed with her. 

Leopold went to get his wallet out and Regina shook her head, “It’s on the house.”

“Oh, well thank you, I’ll see you next week.” He turned then to leave, taking a sip. “You were right, this is perfect.”

Mal had walked in for her shift as the guy was leaving; she frowned seeing Regina’s face. “Hey, are you okay?” 

Regina nodded. “Fine.”

“Who was that?” she asked, referring to the suit that had just walked out.

Regina pursed her lips a little. “Just another satisfied customer.”

“Oh, okay. Well good. I’m going to go make sure David doesn’t break anything.” 

“But he’ll be back,” Regina muttered, mostly to herself. She shook herself to get out of this downward spiral she could feel herself falling into and decided she needed to get back to work. There was nothing she could do about this right now. 

Meanwhile, in the parking lot as Leopold was making his way to his car, he saw someone walking towards the coffee shop. “Hey, wait, aren’t you.. Aren’t you that playwright? Robin Locksley?”

“I, yes, yes I am,” Robin replied reluctantly, he was hoping not to run into anyone who knew him here. 

“Well how about that! You know, I’m from New York, too, great city. What are you doing in a place like this?” Leopold asked him. 

“I…”

“Oh let me guess, research for your next big hit?”

“Well, I guess you could put it like that.”

Leopold stepped closer to Robin, “So listen, investment banking is just my day job, but I’m also a playwright and I’ve had this great idea for years.”

Robin raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

“Yeah, I kind of got stuck about halfway through, but it’s just getting better by the day. Like a fine wine.”

“Is that right?” Robin asked, trying to keep his face stoic and not bust out laughing. The two of them continued talking, Robin trying to find a way out. He hated when people stopped him like this. Storybrooke, Maine, wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was supposed to be taking a break, finding new inspiration. 

Inside the coffee shop, Regina was wiping a table when she looked out the window and saw the two of them talking; she assumed that Robin was the business partner Leopold had mentioned earlier. Her eyes narrowed slightly, wishing at that moment she could incinerate them on the spot, that would take care of her problems. 

“Who are those guys?” Mal asked, walking up to her. She had seen that look on Regina’s face and was slightly worried about her. 

“No one,” Regina replied. 

Mal tilted her head. “You sure?”

“Of course I’m sure, Mal.” 

“Anything you want to talk about?” she asked knowingly. 

Regina contemplated it for a second, but thought against it. Why worry her best friend right now? “Nope.” With that, she walked back to the counter. 

Mal sighed, watching Regina go; she was so stubborn and would never admit when she was in a bind, but she knew her better than to take her at her word. She would open up eventually. She went back to working after glancing one more time at Robin and Leopold through the window. 

Robin had lucked out when Leopold’s phone rang, giving him just enough time to sprint into the coffee shop that Killian had insisted he would find his inspiration at. 

Mal and Regina were both behind the counter when Robin walked in. 

Mal’s eyes widened slightly, “Wow. New blood in Storybrooke, he’s…” she was probably going to say hot, cute, handsome, any of the synonyms, but Regina didn’t want to hear any of that; cute or not, she was sure that he was going to be the one to foreclose them. Her blood was boiling. 

“Shady,” she added to Mal’s statement before she had a chance to finish. Mal furrowed her brows at her friend. 

“That’s not what I was… nevermind,” she muttered as he stepped up to the counter. 

Regina put on her fake corporate smile and said, “What can I get you?”

“Uhm, well, let me just look at the menu,” Robin said as he looked up at the board on the wall listing all the drinks offered. 

Regina was sizing him up slightly, he wasn’t in a suit like his partner. More laid back. Probably a good cop, bad cop approach, “So you’re from out of town?”

Robin looked back at her and smiled, “Yeah, just got here actually.”

“Hmm, the same town as your friend? The one in the suit?”

Robin frowned slightly, ‘friend’ wasn’t the word he was after but okay. “Actually, yeah.”

“Business partners?” she asked, wanting to confirm her suspicions.

Robin scoffed slightly, “If he has his way, we will be.” He glanced back at the selection of drinks, “I’ll have a cup of the Forest Fruit Tea.”

Regina narrowed her eyes pointing to the name of her shop that she had written on her menu board, “Regina’s  _ Coffee _ .” 

Robin furrowed his brows. “Robin’s” he pointed at the selection of teas, “Tea.”

“So you have a vendetta against coffee, figures,” Regina spit out. She was still pissed. First, they want to foreclose and now this ass has the audacity to come into her coffee shop and order tea. 

Robin frowned, he didn’t realize that she would get so offended over his drink choice. “If you must know it’s a bit bitter for my taste.”

“Bitter?” she scoffed. “The correct term is acidic.” 

“No, I’m pretty sure I meant bitter,” Robin countered. What did he just walk in on? Why would Killian think this is where he would find his inspiration? A bitter barista? That’s going to be a hit. 

Mal walked over having heard the exchange. “Do you need some help here?” 

“I don’t know, Robin, do I need help? I mean you should know, right?” She raised an eyebrow at him. 

Robin’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m going to go with yes and I would start by switching you to decaf.” 

“You city types are all the same, arrogant,” Regina muttered.

“Seriously?!” Robin asked incredulously. “It seems you’re the arrogant one. Expecting everyone to kiss the coffee grounds you walk on.”

“Yeah, you can take this one, Mal,” Regina stated and walked out of the shop. She needed fresh air and to get away from this Robin character before she punched him in the face. 

Mal frowned, watching her, this wasn’t like Regina at all. Something was up. Something not at all related to this poor guy ordering tea. “What can I get you?”

“Some tea please,” Robin said. “Forest fruit would be great.”

.::.

Regina left the store and started walking down the street towards the waterfront. She was always calmer by the water, something about being there made her a little more centered. And boy did she need to get back to her center today. Who was that guy claiming she’s arrogant when he came into her store, her  _ coffee  _ store, ordering tea, only to come back in a week to foreclose said store. Such a jerk. She groaned as she walked, kicking a rock in her way. 

She was livid. Moreso at herself than him, if she was being honest with herself. She was mad that she let herself get so far into debt and put herself in a position where she would lose the one thing she loved more than life itself. Her store. Her legacy. Probably the biggest factor that went into her decision to let Daniel go a year ago. Losing it a year later just felt like a slap to the face. She lost the guy and now she was going to lose her store. 

Her phone ringing pulled her out of her thoughts for a second, her sister.

“Hey, little sister,” she heard over the receiver.

“You will not believe the day I’ve had,” Regina groaned as she continued to walk. 

“That makes two of us,” Zelena muttered. “Did you know dodging squirrels on a moped isn’t the safest thing in the world. Anyway, what happened?”

Regina sighed. “What didn’t happen is the better question?”

Zelena frowned. “Where are you?”

“Walking along the waterfront before I go home.”

“You’re going home before closing? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”

Regina rubbed her face. “It’s just been a long day.”

“What exactly happened?”

“Long story, but then this asshole came in an ordered tea. Tea! At my coffee shop. The nerve…”

“Your day was ruined by a guy who ordered tea?”

“No! Not exactly…” Regina replied. “He called me bitter and arrogant, can you believe that?!”

“You bitter? Never,” Zelena’s tone oozed of sarcasm. Regina would never admit her temper was a thing, but everyone knew she had one. 

While Zelena was on the phone with Regina, Robin had called up Killian, who was dutifully fixing up Zelena’s moped after her little crash. 

“Hey, mate,” Killian said, answering the phone.

“Hey, what are you up to?” Robin replied as he leaned back sitting at a table at Regina’s Coffee Shop. 

Killian laughed slightly. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Right,” Robin replied, “I just wanted to tell you I’m here at that coffee shop you insisted I go to.”

“You are? Oh, that’s great!”

“Yeah, it is. The place has a great vibe, except for this one employee who should really limit how much of the product she consumes,” Robin added. 

“Really?” Killian asked, frowning slightly. 

“If it wasn’t for the other girl and the funny guy I probably would have left if I’m being honest. Anyway, what are you doing?”

“Oh, just at the beach…” Killian responded. 

“You want to get together later?” Robin asked.

Killian looked over at Zelena, who was clearly having a similar conversation, “Yeah sure. Come over around 7.”

“Sounds good, I’ll be there.”

Regina had stopped complaining about Mr. Tea for long enough to tell Zelena she needed a night of distraction. “Can we do dinner?”

“Dinner, Regina?” Zelena asked, looking over at Killian who nodded, mouthing my place, seven. “Yeah, Killian says seven at his place.”

“Alright, I’ll see you then.”

Zelena hung up and looked over at Killian, narrowing her eyes slightly at his wide grin. “Why are you so happy? Who was on the phone?”

“My mate, Robin, from college. He’s in town.” He wrapped an arm around Zelena. “I love it when a plan comes together.” 

Zelena furrowed her brows. “What?” 

“A-team,” Killian responded, as though that helped to clear up anything. Zelena gave him a what-are-you-talking-about look but didn’t get much else out of him. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

At the coffee shop, Robin was sitting behind his laptop, trying to figure out what his next big thing was going to be when David walked over to him.

“How’s the tea?” 

Robin smiled at him. “Not bad, I was half expecting that it would have a faint taste of arsenic,” he joked.

David laughed a little. “Regina’s not that bad usually, she’s actually pretty cool and laid back. I think she’s just having a bad day.”

“Ah well, she hides the pretty cool and laid back well,” Robin countered when suddenly the name clicked. “Wait, that was the owner?”

“Yeah,” David confirmed. “Her life kind of seems like a movie to me.”

“A horror movie?” Robin offered.

David shook his head chuckling. “More like a rom-com. But none of the rom-com’s I’ve seen are anywhere near as interesting as her dating life.”

Robin raised an eyebrow, he was intrigued. “Oh?”

David nodded. “She did research on the whole how-to-get-a-guy thing, now she’s got this theory that you should study before your dates.”

“Study?” Robin furrowed his brows. “Study what?”

“The guy,” David replied. “Everything about him. Job, hobbies, college he went to, anything and everything she can find. So she can talk about whatever he is into on the date.”

Robin frowned slightly. “But what about what she’s into?”

“I don’t know.” David frowned a bit. “Never really asked.” He shrugged. “I gotta get back to work, let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do,” Robin replied. She studies the guy for her dates? Only talks about him? That’s not how dating works, she’s never going to find a guy like that. But that’s definitely an interesting spin he could work with for a play. Maybe this place was a good writing spot to help him find the inspiration he needs. Regina was definitely a character. She had a hard outer shell but he was intrigued for sure. 

.::.

Zelena was at Killian’s place, straightening up for her dinner with her sister that night. She wanted to give her the distraction she wanted. Some sister bonding time and possibly help her see that she needs to give Daniel another chance. 

The doorbell rang a little before seven, she walked over to the door, it wasn’t her sister. That much she knew, there was a guy standing at the door. She opened the door. “Can I help you...wait, Robin?” She was Facebook friends with him so she knew what he looked like, but didn’t realize he would be coming over, now. When Regina was going to be here any minute. 

“Yeah, Zelena, right? It’s nice to finally meet you,” Robin answered with a smile.

“Likewise,” she replied. She stepped to the side, still slightly perplexed why Killian’s friend from college was there when her sister would be coming over any moment. “Come in.”

Killian came out at that point. “Hey, hey, it’s good to see you, mate,” he exclaimed as he hugged his friend. “You met Zelena, right? Great.”

“Yeah,” Robin nodded. “I feel like I already know you, Killian can’t stop talking about you.”

Zelena smiled a little. “Yeah he’s a big softie. He didn’t mention anything about a visit though.”

“It was a surprise, really, even for myself. Spur of the moment decision.” 

“Right.” Zelena looked at the wine bottle he was holding. “Oh here, I’ll take that. Will you excuse us for just a moment. Please make yourself comfy.”

Zelena pushed Killian backward into the kitchen until they were out of earshot and whispered, “What are you up to?”

“Exactly you wanted me to be up to…”

Zelena scrunched her nose. “What are you talking about? We were supposed to have a nice quiet meal with Regina to cheer her up and distract her from her bad day.”

“Z, baby, you were the one who wanted me to help you find someone for her so she could be happy, remember? Robin is perfect for her. I thought this up myself!” He grinned clearly proud of himself. “He’s funny, smart, creative.”

Zelena rolled her eyes. “Untucked, unshaven, and unneeded,” she added. “I didn’t mean find someone else, I meant help me convince her to give Daniel another chance.” 

Killian held his hands up. “You may have meant that, but that’s not what you said.”

“How did you not pick up on that?!” 

“You didn’t say it!”

Zelena narrowed her eyes. “So what was your big plan, they meet and a choir of angels start humming as they are swept up in this undeniable love?”

“Maybe,” Killian responded. “Let’s just see what happens. It might be good for her.” He nudges her shoulder. “I had a good idea, you gotta admit it’s a good idea.”

Before Zelena could reply with a smart remark, the bell rang. “It doesn’t really matter what I think, because we’re doing this.” They started to walk out towards the living room. “I’ll get that,” she said but to no avail. Robin had already gotten up and answered the door. 

Regina’s jaw dropped when she saw the one person she never thought she would see standing on the other side of that door. The guy that ruined her whole day. “This can’t be happening,” she muttered. What had she done to deserve this torture today? She closed her eyes, “Please tell me this isn’t happening.”

Zelena slipped up to the door. “Regina, this is…”

“We’ve met.” Regina deadpanned.

“You have?” Zelena asked, perplexed at how she could have met Robin already.

“At the coffee shop,” Robin added. “She’s that coffee lunatic I told you about,” he said, looking at Killian.

Regina gasped, “You ruined my entire day!”

Robin gaped at her. “By ordering tea?! You should really get out more.” He was starting to think that he had right the first time, she was insane.

Regina shook her head and turned to leave. “Wait, we can work this out,” Killian called out. “Regina, Robin was…”

“I know why he’s here,” Regina stated. “Do you?” she asked Killian, giving him a glare. No wonder he was offering up his help earlier with the mortgage. He must have known his friend was coming into town to foreclose the coffee shop. She shook her head slightly, they were practically family. If he knew, he should have told her flat out.

Robin stared at her. “I’m surprised you own that coffee shop. How do you stay in business with that peachy attitude and brand of customer service?” 

“Hey!” Zelena cut in. “That’s my sister you’re talking about.”

“Your sister?” Robin asked, looking over at Zelena. “This is your sister?”

Regina had had enough of this back and forth. “You know what, I think we’re done. Robin, the next time you see your buddy Leopold, tell him I hope he chokes on his chai latte.” She turned around and stormed off back in the direction of her car. 

Zelena turned to Killian. “I am going to go after her, good job, babe. Great idea,” she added sardonically. 

Robin and Killian watched Zelena go after her sister. Robin turned to Killian with a confused look on his face, “Who’s Leopold?”

.::.

The next day, Zelena had gone over to the coffee shop to talk to Regina. She wasn’t in the mood the night before to listen at all and figured a good sleep might help her calm her anger a bit. Regina had told Zelena who she thought Robin was and was starting to get livid yet again when Zelena cut her off and told her she had had it all wrong. 

“Robin is a buddy of Killian’s from college,” Zelena stated as she looked down at her sister as she worked on fixing one of the coffee machines. 

Regina sighed. “So not who I thought he was.” 

“Who’d you think he was?” Mal asked as she stood by. 

Before Regina could answer, Robin and Killian walked into the store. “Speak of the devil,” Zelena commented. 

“Glad to see you came back,” David added. 

“Took some coaxing,” Killian said, winking at his friend as he walked over to Zelena. 

Regina stood up to look at Robin; without the looming he’s-going-to-take-my-shop-from-me cloud above his head, he was kind of cute. She didn’t realize that she had grease marks all over her face when she stood up from working on the coffee machine. 

“Curiosity got the best of me,” he said as he walked over to the counter and looked into Regina’s eyes. 

She hadn’t noticed how blue they were when she was busy sending daggers out of her own at him. She cleared her throat a bit. “Robin, I seem to have, maybe, jumped to a conclusion that was inaccurate and in doing so, I may have inadvertently treated you slightly unfairly,” she rambled out, internally cringing at how flustered she sounded.

“She’s trying to apologize for being a total bitch,” Mal translated so to speak. 

David furrowed his brow. “That was an apology?”

Robin cut in, “It’s fine. Apology accepted.” He smiled at Regina, she was gorgeous. Had she not been on the bender yesterday, his initial reaction would have anything but she’s crazy. He was definitely curious to find out who Regina Mills truly was. 

“Now that we’re all chummy,” Killian butt in. “Who is Leopold?”

Regina had turned her gaze to Killian as he spoke, but she met Robin’s eyes again. “The guy you were laughing in the parking lot with before you walked in yesterday.”

“Oh him? He stopped me on the street, he’s from New York. He knew my work,” Robin explained. 

“And what work might that be?” Mal asked, tilting her head. 

“He’s a famous playwright,” Zelena stated.

Robin cringed slightly, “I’m a writer.” 

Killian mouthed  _ Broadway _ to Regina before cutting in, “He needed an inspirational place to write, so I suggested here.”

“I’m sure he thought it was a great idea, at the time,” Zelena dryly stated, still a little bitter that he didn’t get what she was getting at before.

Regina cringed. “Oh my god, I acted like a total psychopath. Over nothing.”

“No it wasn’t over nothing, it was over tea. If I recall,” Robin teased her. 

Regina smiled a little. “If it helps, you’ve just earned yourself free tea for life.”

Zelena perked up, “Hey, if I know you, can I also get that deal?”

“You  _ have  _ that deal,” David countered.

Robin hadn’t been paying attention to what anyone was else was saying, too drawn in by the mystery and captivating beauty that was Regina Mills. “Actually, I was thinking I’d try the coffee.” Something about the way he said coffee clearly indicated he meant that as a double meaning. 

Regina raised an eyebrow, was he flirting with her? It sounded like flirting and surprisingly enough she didn’t mind. “You should,” she finally spoke up,  _ you should really Regina, that’s all you got _ , “It’s good,” she added. 

“So I’ve heard.” Robin winked at her. 

Regina tucked a stray strand behind her ear and ducked her head a little. “I can make you something and bring it over to you.”

“That would be great, thank you.” Robin smiled at her before taking his laptop and moving over to a table by the wall. 

Regina turned to grab a mug as Mal came up behind her. “Admit it, he’s nice.”

“He’s not un-nice,” Regina tried. 

“He isn’t so bad on the eyes either,” Mal said with a knowing look. 

Regina rolled her eyes. “I never said he was.”

“Ah, so you did notice how cute he is,” Mal gloated slightly.

Regina scoffed, “You’re fired.”

“No, I’m not,” Mal stated matter-of-factly. They both knew Regina would never fire her. They were too close and Regina would lose her head if she didn’t have Mal here. “You’ve got a little,” she pointed to her own cheek. 

Regina bent down to look at her face in the reflection of one of the appliances. “Shit,” she groaned, glancing over at the table Robin was sitting at with Zelena and Killian. First, he sees her acting completely batshit and the second time she’s covered in grease marks. Just wonderful. 

Zelena and Killian had gone over to sit with Robin and actually catch up after the failed attempt the night before. 

“She must have been pretty young when she opened this place,” Robin commented. 

Zelena nodded. “She was only nineteen at the time.”

“That’s impressive,” Robin said in amazement. He was more intrigued with every fact he learned about her. 

“She is impressive,” Killian concurred. “Not to mention smart, funny, beautiful.” 

“And fiesty, too,” Robin added, watching her for a moment. “Very feisty,” he muttered, more to himself than the two people he was sitting with. Robin could get lost in the mystery that was Regina Mills. 

Zelena frowned, watching him, what was he trying to do. She knew Killian wanted Robin to get together with Regina, but Daniel was going to be coming into town any day now and she remembered how great they were. Regina can’t be distracted with dates when she could be getting reacquainted with her perfect guy. 

.::.

Later that day Regina found Marco walking down one of the streets in town and ran over to him. “Marco,” she called out and smiled when he turned towards her as she walked over.

“Regina,” he smiled giving her a hug. “It’s good to see you, how are you?”

“I’m good,” she said. “I heard about your health issues, I’m really sorry. I had no idea.”

He smiled a little. “I’ll be fine. You know, selling the bank wasn’t what I wanted to do, but it’s what’s best for my family right now.” 

“Right,” Regina replied.

“I heard the new owners aren’t as nice and a bit more aggressive than I was?” 

Regina nodded, “That’s one way of putting it. Leopold Blanchard told me they’re going to foreclose next month.”

“Oh no, Regina, I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t think they would do that to you.” He looked at her sympathetically.

“Is there anything that can be done?” Regina asked.

“They won’t listen to me, if that’s what you’re trying to get at. I am truly sorry, Regina.”

Regina smiled a little. “Thanks anyway.” She walked off back towards her store deep in thought. Marco was her only hope in this. She had really hoped that he would have some sway in the matter, just something to tide her over until she could earn back the money she owed. Anything that could have saved her store. She sighed as reality started to set in that she wasn’t going to be able to keep it. 

.::.

The next day, Regina came in later in the day. She had had some errands to run that morning and, by the time she got in, Robin was already there. And playing a game of chess with Archie. She smirked a little as she walked over to their table. “You certainly look like you’re getting a lot of writing done,” she teased. 

Robin chuckled. “I wrote a few pages.” He looked up at her, she was wearing a loose fitted sweater with skinny jeans, nothing crazy out there, but he had never seen anyone as beautiful as she was. “Besides, pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” He winked at her.

“Well said,” Archie chimed in. 

“Did you write that? Maybe you are famous,” David asked. 

Robin shook his head. “Aristotle beat me to that one, I’m afraid.” 

“Do you think you’re going to be sticking around for a while?” Mal asked. “We may not have all that is offered in New York, but Storybrooke is something special.”

“Cities are overrated,” Robin and Regina said at the same time. They looked at each other, both with a glint in their eye. Okay, so they have that in common. 

“I feel like I could think here,” Robin said, smiling at Regina. 

“Check,” Archie announced as he moved his knight. Robin frowned looking down at the board. 

“It’s good to know you will write something new soon,” Regina said. “I’m sure Aristotle will love to have his quotes back,” she teased.

Robin smirked at her, she was quirky. He liked that. She wasn’t so bad when she wasn’t yelling at him for something he had no idea about. 

Regina turned her attention to Mal and David. “Everything good for tonight?” 

Mal nodded. “Picked up the flyers this morning.”

“What’s tonight?” Robin asked.

Regina bit her lip. “Come by and see for yourself.”

Robin smiled. “Maybe I will.” He looked down at the board and moved his bishop down a few squares. “Check mate.” He grinned, catching the look of amusement on Regina’s face. 

She started to walk over to the counter, but bent down when she was close enough to be at ear level. “Don’t forget to bring your wallet.”

He looked perplexed, what was going on tonight? And why was he suddenly super aware of just how close she had gotten to him? He could feel her breathe on his ear and her body heat radiated off her onto him as she lightly touched his shoulder. Oh, he was in trouble. 

.::.

That night, Robin made his way out of his room at the inn he was staying at to walk over to the coffee shop for this mystery event he had yet to get any more information about. As he was walking, he got a call from his agent. 

“Hey,” he said, prepping himself for another  _ this sucks _ chat. 

“He’s back!” Gold exclaimed over the line. 

“What?” Robin asked.

“This is good, really good. I love the small town vibe. I smell a hit!”

Robin chuckled. “Slow down, it’s just a few pages. I could bomb it. Again.”

“Oh you won’t, this is the start of a masterpiece. Great job! Keep at it.” And with that Gold had disconnected the line. Robin shook his head. He was inspired but he didn’t want to get his hopes up again. 

When Robin walked into the coffee shop, he had to do a double take. It was completely spruced up into an elegant event. There were posters up about a charity, after closer examination, it was a charity that Regina’s Coffee founded. Apparently, all the coffee she sells is bought directly from one of the villages.

He walked over to sit next to Killian and looked around at the crowd that had filled up in the coffee shop. It was clear this town loved Regina and everything she did. 

“Did she come up with this charity herself?” he asked Killian.

Killian nodded. “Yup, after she spent a summer in Kenya and Rwanda. She couldn’t sit still until she did something to help them. So she started buying all our coffee from them.”

“It helps to support the villages, especially the ones that have a large child population,” Archie added. “Regina has a soft spot for kids and seeing the kids hungry really gave her the extra push she needed to get this off the ground.”

“And she throws a fundraiser for them a few times a year to give them an added boost,” Zelena commented, explaining what they were all doing there that night. Regina was holding a fundraiser for the villages in Kenya and Rwanda. If he wasn’t already smitten with this woman, he would be now. He was in her trance. 

Robin watched Regina work the room, she was glowing. She was in her element and looked as though she was floating amongst her guests. Robin was drawn out of his thoughts when David stepped up onto the makeshift stage they had for the evening and called for everyone’s attention. 

“I’d like to present, for one song, the absolutely divine, Regina Mills!” David exclaimed as the crowd started to applaud. 

_ She could sing? Was there anything this woman couldn’t do?  _ Robin thought to himself as he watched her join David on the stage, graceful as ever. 

Regina sat down on the piano bench and took the mic, she turned towards her guests and smiled. “Thank you all so much for coming out here tonight and supporting this charity. It means the world to me, truly. I know a lot of you knew my mother; she was an incredible woman, strong willed, and determined to do whatever she had her heart set on doing. She introduced me to all of this. She always reminded me that love is a verb. And that is what this charity is all about.” She turned back towards her piano and situated the mic on its stand before taking a deep breath and starting to play a song.

Robin watched her in amazement as she effortlessly let her fingers float along the keys. When she started to sing along, he could have sworn he had died and gone to heaven. Her voice was angelic. She was singing a love song, fitting seeing as she just gave a speech about love, but he felt as though he was being serenaded by this stunning, strong-willed, beautiful woman. He was blown away. 

This woman was amazing in every sense of the word and he had made up his mind. He was going to ask her out when she finished playing that song. No time like the present and if he waited too long, he may end up talking himself out of it. 

Her song ended and he was instantly on his feet with everyone else as they gave her a standing ovation. He started walking towards the stage, having seen her make eye contact with him on more than one occasion during the song, and was determined to tell her she was incredible. He wasn’t the only one. Everyone in that coffee shop loved Regina and were crowding her to tell her how great she really was. 

Regina had seen Robin walking towards her and her heart had started to race slightly; she liked him, there was no doubt about it, but she was nervous as to what he might say. She was talking to some of her guests when she felt a hand on her back and turned to see who it was.

“Daniel,” she gasped in shock before breaking out into a grin. “Hi,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him close. 

Robin stopped in his tracks, witnessing that hug. That was an intimate hug, nothing like the ones she had given to some of the other guests that had been there tonight. No, this guy was different. He stood frozen in his place not knowing what to do next. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Robin had slipped out of the coffee shop with Killian and Zelena and went back to their place for a bit. He didn’t spend too much time there after the mystery man showed up. And it’s a good thing he didn’t. He was an ex. The ex apparently. The one that got away. He wanted to know more, but he wasn’t going to get into Regina’s path. He had no reason to. He could, however, get some more answers out of her sister. 

“So you’re saying it’s a good thing that Daniel is back?” Robin asked.

Zelena nodded. “It’s absolutely perfect. Did you see her face last night? She was glowing. They still have it.”

“That’s debatable, we don’t know where Regina’s head is.  _ Or _ Daniel’s for that matter,” Killian added.

“He came for her, of course, he still has feelings. I mean, who could ever fall out of love with my baby sister, have you seen her?” Zelena countered. “Besides, you’re still bitter that he beat you to the top of that mountain when the two of you decided to bet on who would get there first.”

“He cheated,” Killian argued.

Zelena rubbed his arm. “It was two years ago, babe. Let it go.”

“No.”

“Really?” Zelena asked incredulously. “Regardless, it’s perfect timing. Especially with everything happening with the coffee shop. She may actually have a chance here.”

Killian cringed slightly. “Z, that’s not exactly public knowledge.”

Realization dawned on Zelena’s face, she had said way too much with a guest in their house. She knew what was happening and Killian knew, but other than that, no one had any idea the trouble Regina was in, financially. She shrugged a little. “Well, Robin isn’t just anybody, he’s your best friend. He can be trusted.” She turned to Robin. “You can be trusted, right?”

Robin nodded, more intrigued than ever. What was going on with the coffee shop? “Yeah, of course.” 

.::.

After the fundraiser wrapped up, Regina had agreed to a drink with Daniel to catch up. 

“I can’t believe your little sister is married,” Regina exclaimed as she sat across from Daniel, holding her glass of whiskey as she looked at him. “I used to babysit her after school.”

Daniel laughed. “Yeah it’s crazy. My mom, of course, took over the wedding planning process.” He shook his head slightly. “Now she has her eyes set on grandchildren.”

“She has wanted that for some time now,” Regina replied.

“That she has,” Daniel concurred. “So, Zelena and Killian? They seem to be getting pretty serious.”

Regina nodded. “They are. He understands her in ways even I can’t sometimes. He’s good for her. Don’t ever tell him that I said that.” 

Daniel chuckled. “She certainly has a mind of her own. A trait that runs amongst the Mills women.”

Regina smirked a little. “Both a blessing and a curse. Right?”

“Captivating and confounding,” Daniel added. 

Their conversation continued for the next hour. Staying on safe topics, nothing at all that delved into their current relationship status. This was nice. Regina always did like talking to Daniel. He was smart, could hold his end of the conversation well, always able to challenge her. She missed this. She missed having him around. 

They walked out of the bar together after a little while, Regina hugged her coat tighter around herself as she felt a slight breeze. She turned to Daniel and smiled. “It was nice seeing you, Daniel.”

“It was good seeing you too, Regina. Can I drive you home?” he offered. 

“I was just going to walk.”

“I’ll walk with you.”

Regina smiled. “I think I can manage a few blocks.”

Daniel nodded slightly. “Alright, I guess this is good night then.” He tilted his slightly. “Maybe I’ll stop by the coffee shop tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Regina replied, “I’ll have a caramel cappuccino waiting for you.”

“You remember my favorite drink?”

Regina bit her lip. “Some things you don’t forget.”

“Right,” Daniel muttered. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“See you,” Regina said as she turned around and started walking off in the direction of her apartment. She glanced back at him as she was walking away and smiled a little. She really did miss this sometimes. 

.::.

The next day, Zelena and Mal were in the coffee shop, grilling Regina on what had happened the last night with Daniel. 

“Does he want to get back together?” Mal asked. 

“I don’t know,” Regina groaned. “We didn’t exactly get to that.”

“Of course he does!” Zelena cut in. “He’s a smart man and he knows what he lost.”

“You mean what he  _ left _ ,” Mal corrected, disdain oozing from her lips. She clearly did not want to see a repeat of what happened a year ago. Seeing Regina that down was awful and she would have gone to Chicago and castrated Daniel herself if Regina had let her. She turned back to Regina. “Are you going to see him again?”

“ _ When _ are you going to see him again?” Zelena reiterated. Mal was now glaring at Zelena. As much as they both loved Regina they had a different way of protecting her. 

Regina rolled her eyes, she knew they both meant well, but they could get heated very quickly when they disagreed on things. “If you must know, he can’t stop by this morning anymore. I was going to make him his favorite drink, but he called and said he can’t make it…” Regina replied, a smirk slowly edging its way on her lips. “So I’m meeting him for dinner instead.”

Zelena grinned. “Smart man, see I told you. He just traded in his coffee date for a dinner date. Definitely a smart man. Little sis, your life might be about to change.”

Mal pursed her lips. “She’s right,” she commented and then looked at Regina with concern in her eyes, “Is that what you want? For your whole life to change?”

Regina shrugged. “Things are already changing.”

Mal frowned at that, before she could respond though, the door opened to Robin walking in. Mal smirked. “Yes, they sure are changing,” she said as she watched Robin walk over to the counter. Clearly, she was betting on the hot writer from New York to win over Regina’s heart. 

Regina turned around to see who it was and smiled a little as he walked over. 

“Good morning,” Robin said with a glint in his eyes as he leaned on the counter. 

“Morning,” Regina replied, getting lost in his eyes. His baby blues were mesmerizing and she couldn’t help but stare deep into them. She cleared her throat a little before she got too carried away, “Coffee? Or tea, even?”

“Coffee,” Robin replied with a smirk. He had been going over in his mind all morning if he was just going to let it go or throw his hat in the ring. He still wasn’t sure, but he did want to let her know what he wanted to say last night. “You were amazing last night. The charity is amazing. I had no idea you could sing that well. You’re amazing.”

Regina felt her breath hitch as he spewed complements in her direction, she ducked her head slightly to hide the blush that was starting to creep on her cheeks. “Thank you. Thanks for coming by.” She was struggling. She wanted to flirt back with him because he was clearly still flirting and any other day she would have, but the thought of Daniel being back was looming over her mind and, until she knew what that was about, she didn’t want to lead Robin on. Would she be leading him on though? If she had to pick between them, who would she pick? Daniel, right? She loved Daniel, he was her one. Or was he? She was feeling things deep in her core every time she was around Robin that she never felt with Daniel… or no, that she hadn’t felt in a long time. But Daniel was back. She shook it off. “What size?” she asked professionally.

Robin looked slightly taken aback, did he do something? “Medium, please.”

.::.

Regina was in her room, trying to decide on what to wear. She wanted to look nice, but not like she was trying too hard. She tried on a few dresses, but nothing seemed right. Too slutty. Too conservative. Too casual. She groaned, looking through her closet again, and found a short white dress, it wasn’t too fancy. She could dress it up with jewels though and it would go well with her gold clutch.  _ Just wear this, stop over thinking it. He’s seen you naked, for God’s sake, I doubt he’s going to care what you actually wear _ , she told herself as she slipped into the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. This will do. This will have to do, she didn’t have much time before she had to meet him. 

She quickly found some jewelry that would match and spiced her make-up some. Grabbing her keys, she left her apartment and headed towards the promenade that they were going to meet up at. 

Regina got to the promenade and looked around, no sign of Daniel yet. She checked her watch, she was on time, he must be running a little late. She moved over towards a bench to sit and wait when her phone rang.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hey, Regina,” she heard Daniel’s voice coming through on the other end. “Listen, I’m so sorry I’m going to be a little late for dinner.”

“Oh…” she said disappointedly.

“I know it sounds bad, but trust me when I have an explanation, a good one, you’ll want to hear it,” Daniel offered.

Regina frowned slightly. “Okay.”

“Great, it’ll be another hour. I’ll pick you up.”

“Actually I’m already here,” Regina replied. “I’ll just meet you when you get here.”

“Sounds good,” Daniel said. “And Regina, I am really sorry. I didn’t mean for this to run over.”

“It’s okay,” Regina responded. “I’ll see you soon.” She hung up the phone and slipped it back into her coat pocket. 

Now what? She had an hour to kill. What was she going to do for the next hour? Sure she could go home and then come back, but that sounded a little pathetic. She sighed, she shouldn’t be surprised. When they were together, they almost never met up at preplanned times. 

Regina started walking down the street, looking into some of the shops. She laughed a little as she ended up face to face with none other than Robin. “You again.” 

“Small towns,” he offered with a smile. 

“No place to hide,” she agreed.

He glanced down and smirked. “Especially not in that dress.”

Regina blushed, “I’m meeting someone for dinner.”

“He must be a very lucky guy,” Robin replied, looking into her eyes with a glint of longing. 

“Where are you going?”

“Any Given Sundae, for a mind blowing gelato,” he waggled his eyebrows and chuckled a little. They were back to the flirting. This was good. Maybe he might still have a chance. 

Regina smirked. “Let me guess, Zelena recommended it?”

Robin nodded. “Too bad you already have plans, I would have asked you to join me.”

Regina bit her lip. “Actually my plans have been delayed, I have an hour. I guess dessert first never hurt anyone.”

“Perfect.” Robin grinned. “Although, you will probably have to order for me. Next to you in that dress, no one is ever going to see me.”

“Shut up.” Regina blushed as they started to walk toward the ice cream shop. “And they’ll notice you. Trust me.” 

Regina and Robin got their gelato and decided to keep walking around instead of eating at the shop. She could show him her favorite spots and it gave her something to do other than just stare into his eyes. His extremely blue, expressive eyes. As they were walking, little to their knowledge, they were spotted. Mal and David had been out trying to figure out if the rumors they had heard about the coffee shop in need of money were true or not. 

Regina led Robin over to the Marina where she often took solace whenever she needed it. They had been talking and the conversation had flowed easily. 

“So you ran away from home to live in a lighthouse?” Robin asked as they sat down on a bench.

“Yup.” Regina nodded towards the lighthouse. “Over there. It was only temporary,” she said, looking at him seriously. “Until I had enough money to buy a boat and sail far far away.” They both started to laugh. “I really just wanted to get to play on Broadway.”

“You were that good at 10?” Robin asked, impressed.

Regina scoffed, “God no, I could hardly hold a note.” She smiled looking off into the water. “I always dreamt a little too big.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Robin asked her.

Regina shrugged. “It can be. It didn’t last long. My mom found me within the hour. What she told me though, that I will never forget.  _ Lighthouses aren’t standing to draw attention to themselves, they just shine. _ ” She bit her lip. “Her way of telling me I didn’t need to be so dramatic.”

“I’m guessing she didn’t have that conversation with your sister,” Robin joked, smiling when Regina started to laugh. 

“She tried, Zelena is a special case,” Regina replied. 

Robin smiled. “Your mother seems like she was a wise woman.”

“She was.” Regina nodded. “She always handled everything, even the hardest situations, with poise and grace. I always admired that about her.”

Robin was about to reply to tell her that she, too, handled situations well when they heard a melody start playing;  _ Cost of the Crown _ started playing off in the distance, and it seemed to bewitch anyone in range to start dancing on what was now a makeshift dance floor. Robin watched with curiosity, “What’s going on?”

“It’s our song, the town’s song,” she clarified. “Tradition is if you hear it being played, you stop what you’re doing and dance.”

“Huh,” Robin replied. “Shall we?” He stood up and held his hand out to her.

“What are you doing?” Regina raised a brow.

“Tradition to dance, right? We can hear the song, I wouldn’t want you getting shunned by the town,” he teased. “I’m not the greatest dancer, but I promise not to step on your feet, milady.”

“Well, I guess I can’t say no to tradition,” Regina responds as she places her hand in his awaiting one and walks over to the portion of the street that was being used as a dance floor. 

Robin turned to face Regina as they reached the dance floor. He lightly placed a hand on her waist and held one of her hands with his other as she placed her free hand on his shoulder. They started to sway along to the music. She knew how to dance. Of course, she knew how to dance, what couldn’t she do? 

He smiled at her as they danced. “I see why this town means so much to you now.”

She nodded. “It’s a part of me. And I’m a part of it.”

“Like the coffee shop?”

“Exactly.” Regina bit her lip. “I just, I thought if I could capture a piece of the town spirit and share it that maybe I could… I don’t know.”

“Make a difference,” Robin offered sincerely.

“Yeah, but I was naive,” Regina dismissed. “The world doesn’t care about the idealistic notions of just a small town barista.”

“You are more than just a barista,” Robin countered. “Regina, this town loves you and the world can see that. I see that. I care about your idealistic notions.”

Regina looked at him with large eyes, did he just admit that he cared about her. They were close. They had gotten closer together as they were dancing, practically flush against one another. They had mere inches between their lips and a slightly move could close that distance. She looked down at his lips slightly as she felt a magnetic pull towards him, he had searched her eyes to make sure they were both on the same page as he leaned in towards her to close the distance. 

Until her phone rang. 

Hitting them both like a truck. What was she doing? She was supposed to meet Daniel soon and of course, that was Daniel on the phone. She almost kissed Robin. Oh my god. 

“I have to get that,” Regina muttered as she moved back reluctantly. She didn’t want to leave the warmth of his arms, but she had to.

“Of course.” Robin nodded as he let her go, watching her walk away. Crap, hopefully, he didn’t ruin whatever they had just now. 

“I’m down at the Marina, no, no, I’ll meet you there,” Robin heard Regina say. She hung up the phone and turned to say something to him, but he just smiled and nodded, silently telling her it was fine and to go. 

Regina had met up with Daniel for dinner. She tried to stay present in the moment while they were eating, but a part of her kept going back to that moment. The moment when she nearly locked lips with Robin. Someone she just met days ago and somehow already felt such a pull towards. But that’s crazy, right? She had her one right here, sitting in front of her. She was sure that Daniel was it for her and that’s why nothing had worked since, but maybe she was wrong. 

Daniel had walked Regina back to her apartment after dinner, wanting to make up for making her wait. He didn’t have to, she had told him as much. She had thoroughly enjoyed that hour if she was being honest. 

“When I left last year and you didn’t come with me, I was confused. I thought we had something great, but then I thought there must be a reason for it. I figured I’d find out why we didn’t work soon enough but, Regina, it’s been a year and I still don’t know why. We still feel right,” Daniel told her.

Regina hadn’t been expecting that. A part of her had hoped for this at some point, but that didn’t change the fact that her life was here… or was it? Her shop was going to be foreclosed. Sure, her friends and family were here, but she could go to Chicago. “What are you saying, Daniel?” she asked. 

“I’m saying I made the biggest mistake of my life letting you go and this is our chance to fix that.” He looked down at her lips and back up into her dark brown eyes.

She knew what he was getting at, this was the second time someone had made that gesture to her tonight. She shouldn’t, but this was Daniel. Her Daniel. So she nodded and leaned up, kissing him as her fingers tangled into his hair. 

She broke the kiss a moment later, she was conflicted. “I should go inside,” she whispered. “Think this through.” Think a lot of things through. She just kissed Daniel and a couple hours back was almost kissing someone else. Two guys were currently vying for her attention and she didn’t know what she wanted to do. 

“Yeah, of course,” Daniel responded.

She leaned in and pecked his lips. “Good night.” And then turned and walked into her building, going up to her apartment. 

She closed the door to her apartment and leaned back against it. Jumping slightly when she heard a voice behind her. 

“Well?” Zelena asked eagerly.

Regina smirked a little. “Well what?”

“Oh my god, Regina, he just kissed you!” she exclaimed. 

“Yes, he did,” Regina confirmed nonchalantly. “Not that you were spying or anything, right?” 

Zelena rolled her eyes. “Well, what color am I going to wear as your bridesmaid, my vote is for kelly green.”

“Calm down, tiger, we’re not there yet.” 

“Yet? I like the sound of yet,” Zelena stated. “So David said he saw you with Robin, but he’s clearly mistaken, right? I mean you were with Daniel.”

Regina furrowed her brows a bit, clearing her throat. “Daniel said he met with the banker today. I’m assuming you were behind this?”

Zelena bit her lip. “Okay, I may have mentioned it… what was the meeting about?”

Regina shook her head. “I don’t know, he said I’d find out tomorrow.” She narrowed her eyes at her sister. “Do you know what it’s about?”

Zelena frowned, shaking her head. “No, I don’t. But I can take a guess. Daniel is investing in a future with you. Come on, Gina, it’s everything you wanted. The perfect guy, your coffee shop. The two of you standing side by side in matching aprons making cappuccinos.”

Regina smiled a little, thinking about what it could mean for the two of them if Daniel had invested in the business. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” she told Zelena, but she was really telling herself. To not get her hopes up if that wasn’t what happened. 

“Why not? I’m thinking fall wedding, jewel tones. I call green!” 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next morning, Regina was behind the counter when Robin walked. He smiled at her as he reached the counter. “Good morning, how was dinner?” 

Regina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she ducked her head slightly, the pre-dinner portion of her evening still vivid in her mind. “It was good. Very good,” she responded, honestly. It had been good. Even if she was slightly conflicted now. “Can I get your usual?”

Robin quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah, I like the sound of that. It’s nice having a usual here.” She had turned around to get his coffee when he pulled a small gift bag up onto the counter. “I got you something.”

She brought over the cup with a look of surprise on her face. “You did?”

“Yeah, umm something small,” he dismissed. He just wanted her to have something nice to keep that smile, that elusive smile that made him weak in the knees, on her face.

She smiled a little as she peeked into the bag and pulled out a coffee mug. She turned it around and saw that there was a lighthouse on it. A souvenir coffee mug with the lighthouse that she had run away to on it. This was sweet. Possibly one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her. She was speechless. 

“I noticed you were the only one who didn’t have a mug of your own around here, now you do,” Robin added as he watched her. 

Regina bit her lip, that made it even sweeter. She could feel herself starting to get emotional and wanted to get at least get a thank you out before she started to cry. But before she could say anything the bell dinged, signaling someone was at the door. Daniel and Leopold had walked through the door at that moment. Her moment with Robin once again tarnished. The mug was sweet, but the sight of Leopold Blanchard just sent a chill through her. He wanted to shut her down. 

“I don’t really know what I have and don’t have anymore,” Regina muttered before looking back over to Robin. “Thank you for the mug.” She placed it down and took off her apron to walk over to Daniel and Leo to see what exactly was going down, leaving a very confused and slightly disappointed Robin standing at the counter. 

Regina walked over to Daniel and smiled. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Daniel said as he leaned over to peck her cheek. “You ready?”

Regina nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

The two of them walked over to the table that Leopold had sat down at it. “I’m assuming Daniel filled you in?” Leo asked.

“No, not exactly,” Regina said as she sat down next to Daniel. 

“I wanted to surprise her,” Daniel added. 

Leo smiled, a very disingenuous smile that rubbed Regina the wrong way. “Without Daniel, this would have probably gone in a different direction. I’m just glad this is going to work out in a positive way and quickly.”

Regina nodded. “I know, I really appreciate Daniel getting involved on my behalf.” She placed her hand over his on the table, squeezing it slightly. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay him,” she said as she looked over at her former lover. 

“You don’t have to repay anyone, Regina,” Daniel said, turning his hand to hold hers.

“This all seems a little too good to be true,” Regina commented.

Leo slide across the contract to her. “I assure you it’s all real and legal as long as you sign these.”

Regina smiled and reached for the papers and started to read. She frowned reading it over, “Who is this Jefferson Hatter? His name is...” she flipped a couple pages, “Everywhere.”

“He’s my client,” Daniel answered. Regina furrowed her brows in confusion, what did Daniel’s client have anything to do with her coffee shop. She must have looked confused because Daniel further explained in a rather dismissive manner. “He’s the buyer, Regina.”

“The what?” Regina asked flabbergasted. A buyer? That was his brilliant plan, to sell her coffee shop? To some big city loon? What was Daniel thinking?!

Daniel cleared his throat. “He was looking for some investments that would have a good return and I convinced him to buy your property.” 

“And got you a very nice profit,” Leo added. “If it wasn’t for Daniel, you probably would have ended up empty-handed.” 

Regina couldn’t believe what she was hearing and the truth was she stopped listening after hearing ‘buyer’. Who was this buyer and what was he going to do with her coffee shop? How could Daniel think she would be okay with this?! He knows her, doesn’t he? He should know better than to think that she would be okay with this. She was starting to feel her anger come up. How could she be so stupid to fall for this? Daniel coming back here and saying he wanted to fix things. Of course, he didn’t want to compromise and realize that her life was here, he just wanted to fix things so she could leave. 

“What exactly is this buyer planning on turning my shop into?!” she demanded, glaring at Daniel and Leopold.

“Does it matter?” Leopold asked condescendingly.

“It  _ does _ to me!” Regina replied a little harsher than she probably should in a business meeting. She shook it off slightly and, in a much more controlled tone, repeated herself, “It does to me.”

“You know crowding is a problem here,” Daniel started to beat around the bush. 

She wasn’t into this, she didn’t want to be coddled or hear some sugar-coated version. “Just say it.”

Daniel sighed, “I told him the town could use a parking deck. He’s buying the next two buildings, as well.” 

“I... “ Regina couldn’t believe this. Oh, she was livid. If she could rip out hearts, she knew the first two people who would face that right now. She had to get out of here. She got up and stormed out, speeding past Robin, who was sitting a couple tables down and had heard the whole ordeal, on the way out. 

Robin watched her go with a frown and looked over at the table she just vacated. He overheard Daniel tell Leo that she would get over it and come around. Robin’s frown deepened. He got up and walked out to go find Regina and make sure she was okay. 

He saw her speeding off towards the marina and ran after her. By the time he caught up with her, he found her sitting on the bench they had shared the night before, staring off towards the lighthouse. He slowed his pace and walked over the rest of the way. 

“Has anyone told you, you run really fast,” he said as he walked around the bench and sat down on it. 

“You didn’t have to follow me,” Regina said as she turned her gaze back to the lighthouse. 

Robin pursed his lips. “I felt like I did.” He wanted to say something more, ask her what was going on, but he didn’t want to meddle where he shouldn’t and he really didn’t want to get her more pissed than she already seemed. Or at least how pissed she was. She looked more sad now if he was being honest. So he stopped at that and waited for her to talk when she was ready. 

Regina watched him for a moment before turning her gaze back to the lighthouse. They stayed silent for a couple minutes until the silence was too much for her. She needed to vent. “Do you ever wonder why they’re always building another parking deck?” She shook her head. “I never liked parking decks. They’re cold. No one cares who you are or why you are there. They’re impersonal. They don’t care how long you stay or if you ever come back. Two minutes after you leave, you get replaced.”

Robin watched her as she was speaking. “I’ve never actually thought of it that way.”

Regina sighed, “When I first opened Regina’s Coffee, I made a vow to myself that I would never treat people like they were disposable.” She watched the water for a moment. “I never realized that I would be the disposable one. It’s ironic.”

“No, you’re not,” Robin countered. “Regina, I’ve never seen someone who is more loved by the people around her than you are. This town adores you and for all the right reasons.”

Regina smiled a little, he always did know what to say to make her smile. “The building, I bought it before it was meant to be torn down. I worked so hard to make it into a place where friends could go and talk or laugh. I honestly thought that was what I was meant to do.”

“You  _ did  _ do that, Regina,” Robin stated. “Your coffee shop is special. It changes people. It changed me.” He reached over and held her hand. “Regina, you did something so few people actually do in their lives, you followed your heart. You did something you believe in. Not many people can say they followed through on something they actually wanted to do. And you did that.”

Regina felt tears start to well up in her eyes. “Now they want to tear it down. I failed.”

Robin shook his head. “No, no you didn’t fail. Failing only happens when you don’t try at all.”

Regina bit her lip. “My mother used to say that.”

“She was a smart lady.”

Regina nodded. “I feel like such a fool,” she admitted. 

“I know that feeling and you shouldn’t feel like that. You’re not a fool.”

Regina scoffed, “Yeah okay, Mr. Successful Playwright, when did you honestly feel like a fool?”

Robin rolled his eyes. “Just google my last two plays and you’ll see for yourself.” He smiled a little. He liked that she wasn’t completely down and could still tease him. “But if they hadn’t said what they said about my plays, I wouldn’t have come here and met you. Life works in mysterious ways, you never know. One door closing may open an even larger door.” He squeezed her hand, the one he was still holding, the one she hadn’t pulled back yet. “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but I’ve watched you. I know how resilient you are from the way you carry yourself. From what your friends and family say about you. You’re going to be okay, Regina.” He reluctantly let go of her hand, he didn’t want to leave, but he knew he had to. She needed to figure this out on her own. “I’m going to stop annoying you and let you figure this out.”

Regina laughed. “You aren’t annoying,” she said sincerely. “Most of the time,” she added with a wink, or what she thought was a wink. 

Robin laughed at that, she was adorable. He was smitten and in major trouble. He got up to leave when she reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Thank you,” she said looking up at him. “And I’m glad your last two plays bombed, if that’s what brought you here.”

He smirked. “Me, too.”

A few minutes after Robin had left, Zelena and Killian ran over to the bench Regina was still sitting at, slightly out of breath. “Regina, are you okay? You sounded horrible on the phone.”

“I’ve never seen her run this fast,” Killian joked. Zelena shoved him slightly and moved to sit next to Regina. 

“Talk to me,” she demanded, looking at her little sister. 

Regina sighed and explained what had happened with the meeting and how Daniel had orchestrated her coffee shop to sell and be turned into a parking deck.

“Well,” Zelena started after listening to the full story, “Daniel was just trying to help.”

“I know, but…”

“He had a different idea than you did. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy, Regina. You should know that better than anyone,” Zelena reasoned. “He loves you, little sister. And he wants a future with you, it’s just not the one you thought it would be.” She squeezed Regina’s hand. “Are you really going to let a parking deck change everything?”

Regina frowned, “It does change everything, Z.”

“Does it though? Regina, you’re losing the coffee shop either way. There isn’t a third option here.” Ouch. She was right, but that was hard to hear. “Daniel loves you,” Zelena reiterated.

.::.

Regina had spent the rest of the day thinking through everything. Everything she wanted and everything that was happening. Zelena was right, she was going to lose the coffee shop either way. But, could she morally sell herself out like this? Did it really matter in the end? She walked around with her thoughts and finally made up her mind. The next day she found herself at a diner, sitting at a table by the window, waiting for Daniel. 

Daniel walked in not long after and sat across from her. “You okay?” he asked.

She nodded a little. “I will be.”

He smiled at her. “I knew you just needed a little time to think it through.”

“I’m not taking the deal, Daniel,” Regina confessed. “I told Leopold I’d go through with the foreclosure and I wouldn’t fight him if he found a buyer who wouldn’t tear down the building and use it for something positive, but I’m not taking this deal.”

“It’s just a building, Regina.”

“It’s  _ not  _ just a building. Not to me.” She shook her head.

Daniel frowned. “I don’t get it. My plan made complete sense.”

“Sure, to you,” Regina agreed. “On paper it made sense,” she added. Regina looked up at him. “Letting everything go is going to be hard, but it’s the right decision. For  _ me. _ ”

Daniel looked a little sullen. “You’re not just talking about the coffee shop, are you?”

Regina bit her lip. “No I’m not.” She sighed, “You know, Zelena told me earlier that you love me…”

“I do,” Daniel insisted.

Regina smiled a little. “I know you think you do, but,” she sighed trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say. “All of this just made me realize something. Something I think I’ve always known. The thing that made it easy for me to let you go a year ago.” She shook her head a little. “It’s really hard to put this into words, but you love the idea of me. The person you wish I was, not who I really am. Daniel, if you really loved me for me, you would have known a deal like this would have never flown with me. You would know it’s not about money to me, it’s about principle.” 

“Regina…” Daniel started to say.

Regina shook her head. “You know I’m right. I’m sorry, Daniel, I can’t do this.” She got up and left before the emotions she was starting to feel came out in public. 

Regina felt the cold breeze as she stepped outside and wrapped her coat around herself a little tighter as she started to walk back over to her coffee shop. It was time she told Mal and David what was really happening. The coffee shop closing was going to affect their lives, too, and she had kept that a secret a little too long. 

Luckily when she got back, the coffee shop was empty, sans for Archie -- one of those mid-day lulls. She had a few minutes to tell them now. So she went over to the counter and asked them both to sit down with her so she could explain what was going on. Archie was basically there, but he could hear this. He was here every day and he was basically family. 

She told them everything, they deserved to know. “I tried everything, I really did. In the end, there wasn’t any way to keep it open. I’m sorry. I failed.” She knew she should stick around and listen to what they had to say, but she couldn’t. Not now. So she got up and walked away from the table. 

Mal and David frowned watching her. “We have to do something,” Mal said, turning to David. 

Archie wheeled himself closer to Regina, stopping her from walking any further. “Regina, listen to me, it’s not what they take from you that matters, it’s what you do with whatever you have left.”

Regina smiled a little. “Thank you for that, Archie. But…” Before she could continue with whatever excuse she was about to make the bell dinged, indicating someone had just walked into the shop. Regina turned around to see Robin walking over to her. 

“Hi,” he said.

She hesitated slightly. She wanted to tell him what she had decided, but she wasn’t sure. Now or never. “Can we talk for a second?” 

“Yeah, we’re going to need a little longer than that,” Robin replied. He turned his gaze to Mal. “Can you and David manage the rest of the day without Regina?”

“Absolutely,” Mal responded instantly.

“Perfect, it’s settled then.”

Regina frowned confused. “What’s settled? What’s happening?” she asked.

“Our first date,” Robin stated matter-of-factly. He looked down at his watch. “Started a minute ago, come on, we’re going to be late.”

Regina guffawed, seriously? This was how he was asking her out? But she hadn’t had any time to prep, she looked down at the outfit she had chosen for the day and cringed slightly. It was way too casual. “I'm not dressed for a date…” she sighed  _ come on Regina be a little spontaneous _ she told herself. “Where are we going?” she asked. 

Robin smiled at her. “You look perfect.” He held his hand out to her. “Shall we?”

Regina narrowed her eyes a little, what was he up to, there was something in his eye that said he was up to something, but she decided she didn’t care. She placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her out of the coffee shop. 

As they left, Mal turned to David. “Text Killian, make sure they get her back here by 7:30.” Clearly, this first date was all part of a plan. Regina may not have told her colleagues and friends what was happening with the coffee shop, but they all knew. They all loved her and they were not about to let her keep thinking that she had failed. She was too special to every person in that town to be thinking this way.

.::.

Robin had taken Regina a little further from the coffee shop before he pulled out a blindfold. “Now this is a surprise, so can you please put this on?”

Regina looked at the blindfold suspiciously. What was he doing? Every part of her logical mind was telling her not to. She barely knew this man, he could be a deranged serial killer for all she knew, but something in her told her she could trust him. She hesitantly took the blindfold from his hand and felt it between her fingers. It was soft, she could think of much better settings to use this in than the middle of the street, but c’est la vie. She tied it around her eyes, blinding herself from whatever was happening. 

“Okay, if you toss me into the lake, I will kill you,” she said as she finished tying it. 

Robin chuckled. “I promise, I won'tlet anything harm you.” He took her hand and started to lead her over toward the marina. 

Regina clutched onto Robin’s arm with both hands as he led her wherever he was going. “This is ridiculous, Robin. You know this is my town, there isn’t any place that I haven’t actually been. How can you possibly surprise me?” she babbled as her nerves went off in every direction. She had agreed to this, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to be difficult.

“I’m a writer,” Robin started, “you know I specialize in plot twists and the unexpected.”

“Right,” Regina mumbled as she felt him stop. 

“Okay,” he said as he let go of her hand and moved to untie the blindfold. 

Regina blinked a couple times as her eyes readjusted to the light, she gasped as she saw a sailboat waiting with a french press of coffee and two mugs. “You sail?” she asked, had he mentioned sailing before, how did he do this?

“Nope,” Robin replied. “But this nice young man can,” he said, motioning to the owner of the boat. He watched as the smile on her face widened at the thought of spending the day out on the water. “Did I surprise you?”

Regina nodded. “Yes, thank you. This is incredible.” She grinned as he helped her onto the boat and poured her a cup of coffee. “You said coffee was too bitter for your taste,” she teased.

“Well, a very persuasive person convinced me otherwise,” Robin responded. “And it’s much sweeter up here.”

She laughed as he sat down next to her and the boat started to sail out towards the open water. Regina leaned against Robin as he wrapped an arm around her, taking in everything around her. 

“This is so pretty,” she said as they were further away from the land. 

“Stunning, in every way,” Robin replied, but he wasn’t looking out at the water, no, he was looking at her. She was a marvel and now he might actually have a chance with her. 

They spent the next few hours out on the water, talking and just being with each other. When they got back to the port, Robin bought her a little sailboat souvenir to remember their first date. Regina was glowing in the aftermath of her date. She didn’t want to let that feeling go anytime soon. This was the first time in a while that she felt this good. Besides she was going to have to deal with her pride and joy closing soon and she didn’t want to go there yet. So no, she was going to stay in her happy bubble as long as she could. 

She got back to her apartment with a smile on her face and found her sister sitting there, waiting for her. “We need to talk, Regina.”

“Can it wait?” Regina asked. “I just want to enjoy this feeling right now,” she said as she played with her souvenir.

Zelena cringed a little, she didn’t want to take this away from her sister. She really didn’t but she wasn’t about to sit back and watch her get hurt either. “It can’t wait, Gina.”

Regina looked up at her and concern instantly washed over her face. “What’s the matter, Z?”

“You need to see these,” Zelena remarked, handing Regina the pile of papers she was holding.

Regina took them and started to flip through them, “What is this?”

“Pages from Robin’s new play, I found them under a pile of newspaper on Killian’s table.”

“His new play?” Regina asked, still not following what exactly was going on as she started to read some of the pages.

“Yup,” Zelena said kind of curtly. “It’s about you. And Storybrooke.” She got a little closer to her sister. “Regina, he’s been laughing at you the whole time and using you for his own gain.”

Regina had read enough and heard enough. She couldn’t believe this. How could she be so stupid? She trusted him. And he thought she was a crazy person. 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Robin had gone back to Killian’s place after his date with Regina and was on cloud nine. She was even more amazing when she was carefree and not drowning under the pressures the world was placing on her.

He held the matching sailboat souvenir he had gotten after they got back from being out in the sea as Killian put the dishes away. “It was a good day,” he told him.

“Yeah?” Killian smirked. “I knew my plan would work!”

Robin didn’t get a chance to respond to Killian because at that moment Regina had come busting through the door with rage in her eyes. He hadn’t seen this rage since the moment he met her and she thought he was about to take her coffee shop from her.

“Do you want to explain this to me?!” she demanded, slamming the pages down on the table.

Robin was beyond confused. She was laughing with him less than an hour ago and now she was yelling at him. “Explain what?”

Regina looked at him like he had grown a second head, she picked up the pages and flipped to one. “Seriously, she actually studies for her dates. Studies like she’s taking a test. Regina is a control freak and doesn’t realize that people see her as a desperate…” she felt her voice starting to crack as she read the nasty things he had written about her, but she was not about to cry. No, she was angry. She was livid with him and she was not going to let him see her cry.

Realization dawned on Robin’s face. Shit. She wasn’t supposed to see any of that. “I can explain that.”

“Really?” she asked incredulously. “How can you possibly explain this?!”

“It’s not what you think,” Robin tried, keeping his voice steady. She was already worked up and the last thing she needed was for him to also get worked up.

“Oh that’s right, you’re a writer,” she spat out at him. “Plot twists and unexpected are your specialty,” she reiterated his words from earlier, throwing them back at him. She couldn’t stand to see him any more. “Congratulations. You definitely surprised me. I never expected that you would be just another jerk and a liar.” She threw the pages she had picked up at him and turned around to storm back out of the door she came in from.

Robin gaped, what the hell. “Would you calm down,” he started and then ran after her. “Regina, just give me a minute to explain!”

She turned back towards him, if looks could kill he would be dead by now. “So you can tell me more lies? Get more research for your play?” She shook her head. “How about I just burst into tears? That would make a great scene, don’t you think?” She stormed out of the house towards her car with Robin on her tail.

“Hold on, Regina! I think I’ve earned the chance to…”

She snapped back, “Earned the chance?!” She couldn’t believe that he thought she would give him the chance after all this. “You’ve earned _nothing_ when you use my life for your little punch line!” she yelled back at him.

“Regina, wait,” Robin tried again.

Regina shook her head, her voice going down back to her normal voice. She was angry, but she was also disappointed and clearly defeated now. “I thought you were different, genuine. But I was wrong, you were just being nice for your own gain. Go back to Manhattan, you don’t belong here.” She got into the passenger side of the car as Zelena drove her away.

Robin watched her go, not knowing what to do. She wasn't in any place to listen to him right now. He screwed up. He shouldn’t have left that lying around, not those particular pages anyway.

Zelena drove Regina back to her place in silence. She parked outside and looked over at her little sister. “Are you okay?”

Regina shut her eyes for a second, no, she wasn’t okay. How could she possibly be okay right now? She wasn’t in the mood to talk either so she just got out of the car without saying a word. She leaned against the car, facing away from her sister, and finally let the tears that had been threatening to come out fall.

.::.

Zelena had waited for Regina to take all the time she needed. She knew her little sister. She was strong, independent, and only wore armor around everyone else. She wasn’t one to let people see her break down. Of course, Zelena had seen Regina at her worst. More times than she would like to have. If she could protect her from heartbreak she would, but this was life. So she waited.

She waited until she got a text from Mal, saying they were ready for her back at the coffee shop. Zelena stepped out of the car and walked over to Regina. She wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close.

“It’s going to be okay,” she told her little sister, “you’re strong. Stronger than most. You’ll get through this. All of this.”

Regina nodded slightly against her sister’s shoulder as she hiccuped.

“How about we go back to the shop? That coffee shop always cheers you up.”

Regina thought about it for a moment and then pulled back. “Can I wash my face first?”

Zelena chuckled. “Of course.”

The two of them drove over to Regina’s Coffee after she had taken a moment to refresh. Regina looked at the storefront when they parked and hesitated to get out. “I don’t think I’m up for going in there anymore.”

Zelena squeezed Regina’s hand. “If there’s anything that’s going to make you feel better, it’s in there.”

Regina furrowed her brows a bit. “You go. I just need a minute. I’ll come in soon.”

“Okay,” Zelena agreed as she stepped out to give Regina the space she needed.

Regina took a few deep breaths as she centered herself to face people again. If she had it her way, she would be in her pajamas with a bowl of ice cream watching tv. But no, she was here and, as insane as her sister could be, she was right. The coffee shop was her happy place. She may as well take advantage of every moment she had left in it.

She opened the door to step out of the car as Archie rolled over to her holding a book. “You look more like your mother every day,” he commented.

Regina smiled. “I wish I had inherited more than just her looks.” She sighed. “I could really use her strength right about now.”

“Hard day?” he asked. She nodded in reply. “You know, Regina, just because some things might not be working out the way you want them to, it doesn’t mean they aren’t working out the way they should be working out.”

She narrowed her eyes a little. He was sweet, always giving her words of encouragement when she needed them, but she really didn’t want them right now. “That’s a nice thought, but you don’t know the whole story, Archie.”

“You’re right, I don’t know the whole story. But, Regina, did you ever think that maybe _you_ don’t know the whole story either?” he asked. He pulled out a note from the book he was holding and handed it to her. “After the car crash, your mom came to visit me at the hospital. I was in pretty bad shape after hearing I would never walk again. She gave me that. I needed it then. But I think you need that now.”

She opened the note curiously to see what it said and laughed a little, her mother always knew exactly what to say. “ _Don’t lose yourself because of a temporary setback. No one has ever seen or heard what’s in store for you in the future. You are exactly where you need to be. Just take a deep breath, things will get better,_ ” she read the note aloud. “Thank you,” she said to Archie as she looked up from the piece of paper. He smiled and rolled himself away to give her a moment.

Regina re-read her mother’s note, tracing her finger over her loopy handwriting. She wished she was here right now, she could use her. She took a deep breath and got up to walk into the coffee shop.

As she walked in, she gasped to see that it was full. Completely full of people from the town. They noticed her and instantly stood up and started clapping. Regina was taken aback, what was this? How? Who? She had so many questions about what was happening.

She walked over to Mal as the crowd continued to cheer for her. “What’s going on?”

“They’re celebrating,” Mal stated.

Regina frowned. “Celebrating what?”

“You,” Mal said as she linked an arm with Regina’s and led her over to a chair in front of their makeshift stage.

Regina was still overwhelmed at how this had even happened or who came up with this in the first place. It appeared that everyone was planning on making a toast to her, as well. What did she do to deserve this?

Mal had gotten up on the stage and tapped a glass to get everyone’s attention. “Regina, you are probably wondering right now if everything you did was worth it. If the ten years you put into this coffee shop and into serving this town was worth it. If all the pain and struggle that you’ve gone through to get here was worth it. And I know you, you’re thinking you failed. But you didn’t. You brought this town together. Look around.” She motioned to the full house that had gathered there. “You built a family here. You brought us all together for a greater purpose and that can never be torn away. With or without this coffee shop.” She raised her glass towards Regina. “Tonight, we’re celebrating you, Gina. I’m going to stop talking because there are a lot of people here that want to say a word. We love you.” She handed David the mic as she stepped off the stage to go give Regina hug.

David smiled a little at Regina. “When Regina first hired me, I was so ecstatic. But I wasn’t exactly a barista. My first day, oh lord, I was a hot mess. Complete disaster, it was scary. But you,” he looked at Regina, “You weren’t scared. Or pissed. You were calm. And you kept me around. Hell, you kept me away from Mal’s wrath. Had Mal been my boss, I would have been long gone.” He ducked out of the way to avoid getting hit by the napkin Mal had tossed up at him. “You took me in, Regina, you believed in me. And I will forever be grateful for that."

Killian had hopped up on the stage to say a few words of his own. “I met the love of my life in this coffee shop. Zelena was sitting right at that table when I saw her. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Of course, Regina noticed my interest in her sister and made a beeline towards me and made me work for it. She wouldn’t let me talk to her for a good week. I had to prove my worth. But then she finally gave in to my charm and, well, you all know where the story goes from there.”

Zelena had jumped onto the stage to take the mic from Killian and keep him from taking over for the rest of the night. He really liked to talk. “That’s enough of that,” she shoved him off. “He used to come in every day and stare at me and I found that super creepy. I had no idea that my little sister had put a _no talking to her_ clause on him. Poor guy. But I did think he was cute and finally talked to Regina and she said go for it. I guess I know now why you were okay with it. But regardless, there isn’t anyone I’d trust more than you, little sister.

“What you’ve done here, you should be so proud of yourself. This is amazing. I know I never would have been to pull something like this off. I wish Mom was here to see this. She would so proud of you. _I’m_ so proud of you. Since you were twelve, you always said you wanted to make a difference. You did that. And so much more.” She gave Archie the mic as she walked over to Regina. She wiped Regina’s tears from her cheeks and hugged her tightly. She sat down next to her and held her hand as the speeches went on.

Archie smiled warmly at Regina. “Zelena’s right, Cora couldn’t be prouder of you. You made a difference in so many lives, Regina. You made a difference in mine. After my crash when I didn’t think I belonged anywhere anymore, you pulled me into this shop, gave me one of those goofy mugs and said _You belong here_. You have that gift that your mother did of always sensing what someone needed. She’s looking down on you and smiling right now.”

After Archie, some other people from the town said a few words about Regina. You could feel the love in that coffee shop. Regina had done this. Mal was right, she built this family. This unconventional family, by being there for them and serving this community with everything she had.

Regina was sitting there, listening to the kind words everyone was saying and trying to keep herself from becoming a bawling mess right now. Zelena and Mal were sitting next to her and holding her hands for support. She was overwhelmed by everyone. Her mother was right, even on the worst days, there were always moments of joy waiting to be consumed. She was going to be alright. Even without her coffee shop - her baby - she was going to be okay. She had people here that would make sure of that.

After the last person got off the stage Mal turned to Regina. “Are you up for playing everyone one last song?”

Regina hesitated a little, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to keep her voice at bay but she wanted to. For old times sake. So she nodded and let Mal introduce her as she got situated at the piano to play one song for everyone, one last time.

As she was singing, Robin had snuck in through the back and walked over to where the mic was sitting when she was playing out the closing chords. “Wait, I have something to say, too.” Regina looked up at him, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear this or not.

Zelena glared at him. “Haven’t you said enough?!”

“Not nearly,” Robin replied, his eyes never leaving Regina’s. “I’m Robin, most of you have no idea who I am. I haven’t lived here for years and have a long list of life-altering moments that happened here. I wish I did because that would mean having known you longer,” he said as he looked at Regina. “But I have one moment.”

Regina really didn’t want to listen to this, she shook her head and stood up from the piano bench. “I told you, Robin, you don’t belong here.”

“Yes,” he insisted, “I do.” He left the mic and walked over to where Regina was to be closer to her.

Regina looked around at the confused faces in the crowd. “He wrote a play, making fun of us.” She turned her gaze back to Robin’s, her gaze that had been soft and cheery moments ago was now seeing fire again. “Of me actually, you called me desperate. I read it with my own eyes.”

“Yeah but you didn’t read this part,” he said as he held up a folded manuscript to a specific page. “You read the beginning pages where things were messy and confusing. I… I didn’t know how I was going to write the end of this. Not until today.” He walked closer to her. “You called me a fraud, and you’re right, Regina. I wasn’t a fraud with you, but I have been as a playwright. When I started out in this industry, I wrote from the soul, and it was raw and everything I wanted to be. And then I started wanting to write hits, things I thought people wanted to see. Not what I actually wanted to write. And you thought you had to do the same thing, to find love. You thought you had to become someone that someone else wanted you to be instead of being yourself.” He got up on the stage with her at the point. “You’re an original, Regina. You’re you and you care and all of this is genuine. That’s what drew me to you, how real you really are. _You_ taught me that the only thing we have to offer is what’s really inside us, not the fake stuff we think people want to see. That’s what I had to let out.” He took another step closer to her. “Regina, I didn’t write a play making fun of you, I wrote one about falling madly head over heels in love with you.”

Regina had been trying to keep herself from crying ever since he started talking about her finding love. The truth was that she was still raw from the betrayal she had felt, but the more he talked, the more she realized she had blown things out of proportion with him -- again. Hearing him say he was in love with her, though, that sent the tears that had welled up in her eyes falling. She looked up at him. “You love me?”

“Every frustrating, stubborn, beautiful, inspiring bit of you,” he confirmed before he cupped her cheek and closed whatever distance was remaining between them. Robin kissed her softly, savoring their first kiss. It was soft and raw. Just like every other aspect of Regina.

As they parted, they heard a roar of applause. Oh that’s right, they weren’t alone and very much on display right now in front of half the town. She didn’t care though.

Robin caressed Regina’s cheek. “I’m not going to let you lose this place.” She furrowed her brows at him, not knowing how he could possibly make that promise. But that was a matter for another day, right now she just wanted to kiss him again. He was a damn good kisser. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer for another deeper kiss.

.::.

Robin had kept his word. He didn’t let Regina lose the coffee shop. The play he had written about falling in love with her turned out to be even better than he had hoped. He made more than enough through that to keep her from losing her store.

He wrote a check to save her coffee shop, one that Regina had insisted she was going to pay back. But he had another idea. No he didn’t want her to pay him back, he wanted full partnership. The two of them working side by side in the coffee shop. Regina was skeptical, but she was pleasantly surprised at how quickly Robin was able to pick up on barista skills. He got along well with Mal and David. The four of them couldn’t run the shop any smoother.

Robin had moved up to Storybrooke to be closer to Regina and really grow his relationship with her. The more time they spent together, the more they realized they were truly destined to be together. It was cheesy, but they were soulmates. They were better together than they were apart.

Regina had never felt anything like the feelings she had when she was with Robin. It was like she was a new person, but yet every bit herself all at the same time. She couldn’t help but smile every time she saw him walking around the shop with that apron wrapped around him.


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

1 year later...

Regina moaned, arching her back as one of her hands slipped under the covers to tangle into Robin’s hair. He loved to wake her up like this. The noises she made whenever he went down on her were heavenly to his ears. He slipped a finger into her and curled it up, finding her g-spot almost instantly. He had had enough time to roam her body over the last 8 months and knew exactly which spots to push to get the reaction he wanted and, boy, was he getting what he wanted right now. 

Regina’s toes curled as her impending orgasm grew closer. She tugged on Robin’s hair lightly, urging him to suck her clit harder and give her the push she needed. Robin decided to cut his teasing short today and give her what she wanted, wrapping his lips around her throbbing clit and sucking it firmly as his finger continued to stimulate her g-spot. Regina gasped out, moaning loudly and calling out Robin’s name as pleasure washed over her body. Robin continued going until she had come down from her high.

He licked the juices she had let out clean before kissing his way up her body. He leaned down to kiss her lips, letting her taste herself on his tongue as he rolled over and pulled her on top of himself. “Good morning.” He smiled as they parted. 

“Good morning,” she chuckled, pecking his lips again and snuggling into his chest. “You have easily become my favorite alarm clock.”

Robin chuckled, “I can’t imagine why.”

Regina rolled her eyes and glanced at the clock. They would be late for work if they didn’t get up now, but she was too comfortable. Five more minutes wouldn’t hurt. They could just shower fast. 

Of course, their shower ended up being anything other than fast. The two of them taking advantage of the larger shower the new apartment they had gotten together had and had sex not once, but twice, before they finally left to get to get to work. Luckily, Mal and David had gotten pretty good at opening the store together, sans Regina. 

.::.

The day had been pretty steady with people coming in and out to get their daily fix of coffee. Zelena and Killian had come in earlier and taken up a couple tables with another blond woman who had binders upon binders of things to show them. 

Regina was behind the counter filling a drink order when she felt Robin wrap his arms around her waist and kiss her temple. She grinned. She was elated that this was her life. A year ago she never thought she would have this. She never would have thought she’d have a man like Robin in her life and she really didn’t think she was going to be able to save her coffee shop, but she did. She found the man of her dreams, the guy that got her for her and loved every ounce of her there was to love. He moved his own life to be with her, and she couldn’t thank the lucky stars enough for bringing this incredible man into her life. 

Killian had walked over to the counter while they were wrapped up in each other and coughed to announce himself. “Lovebirds, if you’re done canoodling, my fiance is requesting that you join us for a moment.” Killian had popped the question a few months after Regina and Robin had gotten together and they were in the midst of planning a wedding that fit her vision.

Regina and Robin followed Killian back to the table Zelena was still sitting at with the blond, walking hand in hand as always. 

Zelena smiled at her sister. “This is Tink, our wedding planner.”

Regina reached over to shake Tink’s hand. “Remember we want something simple.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Zelena cut in. “A double wedding in this town needs to be over the top. I’m thinking a large orchestra, doves being released, fireworks, everything.”

Regina shook her head as she leaned back against Robin and fiddled with the rock on her own finger. Robin didn’t need to date her for years to know he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Regina knew it, too. On their six month anniversary, he took her back out onto the water in the same sailboat they had taken on their ‘first date’ and popped the question. Naturally, when her sister found out, she had insisted that the two of them do this together, seeing as they had gotten engaged so close together -- coughing it up to fate giving them a sign. Regina didn’t mind. All she cared about was marrying Robin at the end of the day. 

Regina and Robin couldn’t wait to be spend the rest of their lives doing exactly what they were doing right now, with the exception of calling each other husband and wife. 

 

The End. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this lived up to everything you were hoping for, Thirza! Happy Valentine's Day!


End file.
